1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for preventing extraction of a card-shaped functional device for an information processing apparatus, and a recording medium storing a program for realizing extraction preventing operation on a computer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of card-shaped functional devices have been used so far; each of which includes an electronic circuit for realizing a specific function and is set to other electronic apparatus.
These types of card-shaped functional devices include (1) an IC card serving as a card-shaped device mounting an IC (Integrated Circuit) (e.g. so-called an ISO-size IC card specified in ISO (International Standards Organization) 7816 standard or an IC card having a thickness of {fraction (1/10)} inch mainly used in Japan), (2) a PC card or memory card conforming to PCMCIA standard, (3) a smaller memory card, etc.
Because these card-shaped functional devices are spread, various types of information processing apparatuses are provided with card slots for mounting these card-shaped functional devices. These apparatuses include tower-type, desk-top-type, portable-type, lap-top-type, notebook-type, hand-held-type, and palm-top-type computers, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant: a private portable information terminal), and a handy terminal (a portable terminal having the minimum number of functions such as memory function and computation function).
However, there are the following cautions for use when setting these functional devices to these information processing apparatuses.
For example, when the functional devices are extracted from the card slot while the information processing apparatuses access a file stored in the functional devices for read or write of data, the functional devices are forcibly electrically disconnected from the processing apparatuses.
Thereby, rewriting process of the file in which the data in the functional devices are currently written is forcibly interrupted and the data included in the file and the control data in a FAT (File Allocation Table) region are destroyed.
Thus, when the data are destroyed, very serious problems occur that not only the data cannot be read out from the functional devices but also the functional devices are electrically destroyed.
Therefore, it is necessary to securely prevent the functional devices from being extracted from the card slot while an information processing apparatuses access the functional devices and thus, various arts have been present in order to prevent the functional devices from being extracted.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 161468/97 (disclosed on Jun. 20, 1997 in Japan) discloses an art for controlling the power supply of a body whenever setting or removing a card cover for protecting a memory card provided for the card opening of the body. This art is described below as a first conventional example.
FIG. 7 is a general perspective view of the memory-card setting/removing mechanism of the first conventional example. In FIG. 7, one side of a body 103 facing the rear end of a card 102 set to a card accommodating portion 117 of the body 103 is cut out so as to serve as a part of an opening 112 for the card 102. Moreover, a concave portion 112a through which a finger can be inserted into the cutout of the body 103 is formed. Moreover, a card cover 113 for protecting the card 102 is removably set to the card opening 112 of the body 103 to control the power supply of the body 103 synchronously with setting or removing of the card 102.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 105324/95 (disclosed on Apr. 21, 1995 in Japan) discloses an art for detecting a card extraction preparatory state when extracting a card and cutting off the power supply of a data processing unit in accordance with the detection result of the state. This art is described below as a second conventional example.
FIG. 8A is a perspective plan view of the information card setting apparatus of the second conventional example. In FIG. 8A, the information card setting apparatus has a card slot 280 for being inserted a card 290 and read out the data stored in the card 290 to a data processing unit. The apparatus has a card detecting switch 284 for detecting the insertion of the card 290 into a card slot 280 and control means for turning off the power supply of the data processing unit in accordance with the detection result of the card detecting switch 284.
FIG. 8B is a flow chart for the IC-card insertion/extraction interrupting processing of the information card setting apparatus of the second conventional example. In FIG. 8B, when the card 290 is inserted into the card slot 280 and the card detecting switch 284 is pressed while a terminal 207 operates or when a user moves a lock lever 282 in the direction of the arrow c and thereby, a lock-lever detecting switch 283 detects that a locking state is cancelled while the terminal 207 with the card 290 is processing, runaway of the terminal 207 due to the extraction of the card 290 from a connector 299 is previously prevented by starting an IC-card insertion/extraction interrupting routine (step SP3), saving data in the RAM (step SP4), and turning off the power supply of the terminal 207 (step SP5).
Thus, in the case of the second conventional example, because the PC-card extracting operation is detected before extracting the PC card to save the data in to the RAM and then, the power supply is cut off, it is possible to avoid destruction of the file in which data is currently written since access of the terminal 207 to the PC card is not forcibly interrupted.
However, the above conventional examples have the following problems.
Firstly, the first and second conventional examples have a problem that they cannot prevent the functional device from being extracted because they have no warning function against extraction of the functional device.
Secondary, the first conventional example has a problem that the power supply of the body 103 is cut off simultaneously when the card cover 113 is removed and thereby, the data stored in the body 103 or the card 102 is destroyed.
Thirdly, the second conventional example has a problem that the processing for temporarily saving the data into the RAM and the processing for cutting off the power supply of the terminal 207 are necessary and therefore, the processing is complex.
Moreover, because the processing for saving the data into the RAM requires a certain processing time, there is a problem that it is impossible to prevent runaway of the terminal 207 or destruction of the data in the card 290 when the card 290 is extracted before the processing for saving the data is completed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for preventing extraction of a card-shaped functional device for an information processing apparatus, capable of securely preventing the functional-device extracting operation from the information processing apparatus by an operator and a recording medium storing a program for realizing a extraction preventing operation on a computer.
To realize the above object, a method for preventing extraction of a card-shaped functional device for an information processing apparatus, has the steps of: starting warning when a slot cover for covering a card slot to which the card-shaped functional device including an electronic circuit is set so as to be opened or closed is opened and operational power is supplied to the card-shaped-functional device; and stopping the warning when the slot cover is closed or the operational power is not supplied to the card-shaped functional device.
An apparatus for preventing extraction of a card-shaped functional device for an information processing apparatus, having: a card slot to which the card-shaped functional device including an electronic circuit is set; a slot cover for covering the card slot so as to be opened or closed; a detecting unit for detecting the open/close state of the slot cover; a power supply unit for supplying operational power to the card-shaped functional device; a control unit for issuing a warning output in accordance with the combination of the detection result of the detecting unit and the supply or non-supply of the operational power from the power supply unit to the card-shaped functional device; and a warning unit for warning by receiving the warning output from the control unit.
A recording medium storing a program for realizing extraction preventing operation on a computer, the operation having the steps of: starting warning when a slot cover for covering a card slot to which the card-shaped functional device including an electronic circuit is set so as to be opened or closed is opened and operational power is supplied to the card-shaped functional device; and stopping the warning when the slot cover is closed or the operational power is not supplied to the card-shaped-functional device.
Thus, in the present invention, the warning is issued to an operator for the extracting operation of the functional device in accordance with the open/close state of the slot cover for covering the functional device and the power supply state to the functional device. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operator from extracting the functional device while the information processing apparatus accesses the functional device.